Falling into the mortal world

When Lan's mother saw that the furniture had been delivered, she quickly called Lan Qingqing out. Lan Qingqing heard her mother's call and went out to see what was happening.

As soon as Lan Qingqing stepped out of the courtyard gate, she saw a large crowd gathered in front of the new house. Villagers, seeing four or five oxcarts arrive at once, also came to take a look out of curiosity.

This was the first time the head manager of Lihua Village had come here, and Chef Zhang, who worked at the shop, was the second manager.

Lan Qingqing squeezed through the crowd and finally saw five oxcarts parked in front of her house. The carts were covered with cloth, but Lan Qingqing recognized one of the deliverymen—it was Yu Ji's deliveryman who had delivered goods before. Lan Qingqing stepped forward and asked, "Is my order ready?"

The shopkeeper, seeing that the person asking the question was a young woman wearing a veil, knew who she was and said, "I am Manager Peng from Yu's Shop. The goods you ordered have been prepared and I've brought them to you."

Lan Qingqing lifted the cloth to check the quality. Finding no problems, she took out two one-hundred-tael silver notes and said, "This is the remaining silver."

The shopkeeper hurriedly said: "No rush, we can talk about it after we unload the goods."

Lan Qingqing was a little surprised; it was really strange that someone would offer money and not accept it immediately.

The Lan family members also helped unload the goods. Those who were watching the spectacle outside couldn't help but marvel at the Lan family's generosity when they saw the items under the white cloth.

Such exquisite tables, chairs and benches are something I've never seen in my entire life.

Sister-in-law, did you see that bed? My goodness! It's so beautiful! I've lived half my life and never seen such a beautiful bed.

It's more than just beautiful! The tables, chairs, benches, and furniture are all exquisite. Even the wealthy man's house in town doesn't have such exquisite furniture.

The women outside were chatting animatedly, one after another. Lan Qingqing had ordered seven beds and seven wardrobes, one bed and one wardrobe for each room.

The shopkeeper was taken aback when he entered the Lan family's courtyard. This small courtyard was surprisingly exquisite, with pavilions, terraces, rockeries, and a thin stream extending from it. The shallow pond was filled with pebbles. The stream meandered past the covered walkway.

Even before the flowers, plants, and trees were planted, the place already exuded an air of opulent wealth. Entering further astonished the shopkeeper; the white floor reflected people's shadows. The walls were also white.

Shopkeeper Peng, who prided himself on his worldly experience, suddenly felt like a frog in a well when faced with the things in Lan Qingqing's house. After all, the magnificent decor was something he had never seen before. It was like a paradise on earth. Combined with the furniture Lan Qingqing had ordered, it was a perfect match. It was so beautiful. Living in such an environment would be such a blissful thing.

The people who came with the delivery team today learned something new, since they had never seen anything like it before.

Manager Peng was deeply shocked. The villagers outside were all craning their necks to peer inside. Standing outside the courtyard, they could only see the view within through the gate.

The view outside the courtyard alone was enough to excite the villagers. They no longer cared whether Lan Qingqing was a prostitute. Everyone was calculating whether they had a suitable, eligible girl from their own family to marry into the Lan family.

If she could marry into the Lan family, wouldn't she be living a life of luxury?

Many families sell their children for money. Many also give their daughters away as concubines. Ultimately, isn't it all about money?

Now that the Lan family is wealthy, what does it matter whether their reputation is good or bad?

And so, Lan Xiaotian became everyone's choice for son-in-law.

Manager Peng arranged all the furniture in Lan Qingqing's house before starting to talk about the important matter.

"To be honest, Miss Lan, I've come here today to discuss a business deal with you," said Manager Peng.

"What kind of business?" Lan Qingqing asked.

"Well, our shop would like to buy the blueprints for these furniture pieces. Would you be interested, young lady?" "If you are," said Shopkeeper Peng, "the remaining balance for these furniture pieces is waived; consider it a half-buy, half-giveaway."

"How much money are you planning to spend?" Lan Qingqing asked.

"How much do you think is appropriate, young lady?" Manager Peng asked in return.

After thinking for a while, Lan Qingqing said: One hundred taels for one blueprint.

"Deal made," Manager Peng agreed without the slightest hesitation.

This left Lan Qingqing speechless. The ancients were truly trustworthy. In fact, they could make it themselves without buying blueprints, since they had seen the blueprints and even tried making it themselves. Even without blueprints, they could still make it themselves.

Shopkeeper Peng and Lan Qingqing had different ideas. Even if their shop made the same furniture without the owner's consent, what advantage would they have if the owner got angry and sold the blueprints to someone else?

Besides, once the blueprints are purchased, a written agreement must be signed. Once the blueprints are sold to them, they cannot be sold to anyone else.

Manager Peng has already witnessed his business booming.

The shopkeeper only took out the blueprints for the frame made by Lan Qingqing, and bought all the others, a total of twelve blueprints, which cost one thousand two hundred taels.

Manager Peng asked his assistant to bring paper and pen. Lan Qingqing immediately realized that this guy had come prepared!

After the two signed the documents, Manager Peng took out twelve one-hundred-tael silver notes from his pocket, which was one thousand two hundred.

Lan Qingqing took the silver note, glanced at it, and then put it in her bosom.

Lan Qingqing thought that there was paper and pen here, so she picked up the pen and drew a baby crib on the paper.

In ancient times, baby cribs were made of woven rattan baskets. To shake the basket, you had to put a wooden stick on the ground. If you weren't careful, the basket could easily tip over.

Lan Qingqing's crib is quite suitable; she can sleep in it even in summer, and it won't easily tip over when rocked. It's also easy to move between indoors and outdoors.

The crib has two levels. The upper level is the crib itself, with openwork panels on all four sides and an armrest support for hanging small toys or, for larger items, standing upright. The lower level is a storage shelf for baby clothes, diapers, and other items, which is very convenient.

When the shopkeeper saw the objects described by Lan Qingqing, he asked with some curiosity, "What are these?"

Lan Qingqing replied: This is a crib. How much money would it cost to make four cribs?

The shopkeeper was a little curious about Lan Qingqing's needs for so many cribs, but he was too embarrassed to ask.

"Miss Lan, can I also buy these blueprints?" Manager Peng asked.

"Yes," Lan Qingqing replied without hesitation.

"Alright, what kind of wood do you plan to use to make the baby crib for the girl?" Manager Peng asked.

"Let's use sandalwood!" Lan Qingqing said.

Rosewood is quite expensive; the cost of a single crib is two hundred taels of silver.

I'll give you two hundred taels per sheet at cost price, young lady. Lan Qingqing knew the price of sandalwood; Manager Peng really wasn't making any money off her.

Lan Qingqing took out seven hundred taels from her bosom and handed it over. After deducting one hundred taels for each blueprint, here is seven hundred taels.

The shopkeeper took the silver note, got up and left. This trip with Shopkeeper Peng left a deep impression on him for the rest of his life.

The house is all furnished and ready to live in.